Automatic bottle-locker.



D. H. BUCKLEY. AUTOMATIC BOTTLE LOCKER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 4,1914.

Patented Feb. 23, 1915.

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. HE NORRIS FE 5R5 C0. PHOTO-LITHD.. WASHINGTON, D4 C.

Patented Feb. 23

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THE NORRIS PETERS C0,. PHO'IOLITHQ. WASHING TON. D.

DUE'R H. BUCKLE'Y, F VIENNA, OHIO, ASSIGNOB T0 ALFRED F. GAIL AND ALEX CAMPBELL, BOTH 0F VIENNA, OHIO.

AUTOMATIC BOTTLE-LOCKER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 23, 1915.

Application filed .Tune 4, 1914. Serial No. 842,995.

- a specification.

This invention relates to the general subject of deposit and collection receptacles, and has particular reference to an automatic bottle locker.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a device that is adapted to be used as a milk bottle holder and locker. In such use it prevents the bottle from being stolen, and at the same time requires the deposit of a return bottle before the filled one can be removed. That is to say, it is impossible to remove a filled bottle without first placing an empty one in the proper compartment of the .device, thereby operating as a check upon bottles to be returned.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which is simple and substantial, adapted for use in connection with all sizes of bottles, thoroughly practical in its operation, and which can be easily operated without the use of special keys or looks which consume much time in manipulation.

With the above and other objects in view which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood,

the same consists in the novel construction,

combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed.

A preferred and practical embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of the bottle locker, with the upper compartment closed. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. 41 is a transverse sectional view on the line 4.t of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a similar view on the line 66 of Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of one of the locking devices. Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail view showing the locking device engaged with one of the keeper slots. Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

In carrying out the invention, it is preferable to employ an outer cylindrical. casing l which is provided with the top and bottom walls 2 and 3 respectively, and which is also provided with upper and lower access openings 4 and 5. Rotatably mounted within the outer cylindrical casing 1 is an inner revoluble carrier 6 which is provided with a central partition wall 7 forming the separate upper and lower holding compartments 8 and 9 having side openings 10 and 11 disposed in reversed relation to each other, that is, respectively at opposite sides of the carrier body. The top wall 12 of the inner revoluble carrier member 6 is eccentrically pivoted as at 13 to the top wall 2 of the outer casing, while the bottom wall 14 of the carrier member is likewise eccentrically pivoted in the bottom wall 3 of the outer casing by means of the shank 15 of an operating turn button 16. The shank of the turn button is secured to the bottom wall 14. of the inner carrier, so that the latter may be easily turned on its pivots by manipulating the turn button itself. With further reference to the eccentric location of the pivots of the inner carrier, it will be apparent that this arrangement provides a working clearance for the latter at the sides and rear of the outer casing to accommodate the latches and insure their proper workmg.

The lower wall 3 of the outer casing is provided on its inner face with a pair of oppositely disposed upstanding stop lugs 17 which are preferably arranged at one side of the diametrical center of the outer casing member and are adapted to be engaged by an abutment lug 18 depending from the under side of the bottom wall 14 of the revoluble carrier. The purpose of these lugs is to prevent the inner carrier from describing a complete circle in its rotation. That is to say, in order to present the compartments 8 and 9 alternately before the access openings 4 and 5 to provide for the removal or insertion of a bottle, it is only necessary that the inner carrier rotate part of a circle. This construction also 'prevents access to the compartments by turning the carrier in a direction in which the proper latch cannot operate as will hereinafter more fully appear.

With further reference to the details of the inner revoluble carrier, it will be observed that each of the compartments 8 and 9 has secured to its rear vertical wall 8 and 9" respectively, a spring member 19 which presses and holds a bottle against the short front wall 20 of each compartment. The vertical wall 8 and 9 of each compartment forms a shutter portion for the adjacent access opening of the outer casing, that is, one or the other of the walls 8? or 9 always closes its adjacent and respective access opening to prevent the removal of the contents of the compartment of which the wall is a part. The said short front wall 20 of each compartment is provided with a keeper slot as indicated at 31 and 22 which is adapted to receive, under certain conditions, a portion of a locking device designated in its entirety by the reference character 23. This locking device essentially comprises a hinged latch member 24: which is secured to the inner Wall of the outer casing by means of a suitable clip 25, and is provided at its free end with an angularly disposed locking tongue 26 which is formed with a beveled latch face 27 and a locking shoulder 28. For the purpose of maintaining the hinged latch member 24 in its normal operative position, a spring 29 is provided which has one arm bearing against the inner wall of the outer casing, and the other arm bearing against the back of the hinge leaf, thereby exerting a forward pressure thereon.

A separate locking device is provided for each of the horizontal keeper slots 21 and 22. For instance, one of these devices is so arranged that one edge of the keeper slot 21 engages with the locking shoulder 28 of its spring pressed latch member when the inner carrier is rotated in the direction of the arrow in Fig. l, thereby preventing the opening of the compartment 8 from registering with the upper access opening L of the outer casing, provided there is no bottle in said compartment covering the keeper notch. The lower keeper slot 22 is likewise adapted to engage with the shoulder 28 of its associated locking device, which latter is of the same construction as of the other locking device except for the location of the locking shoulder 28 which is on the opposite side of the tongue 26. That is to say, the locking shoulders 28 of each locking device are facing the front of the locker so that when an empty compartment is turned to the rear, the shoulder of its associated locking device will engage with the edge of its keeper slot and prevent its being turned farther to expose the contents of the other compartment. This arrangement of duplicate locking devices permits the carrier to be turned to the right regardless of the top lock, and to the left regardless of the bottom lock. In other words, as the carrier swings in its are, its continued turning in one direction is arrested by the engagement of one edge of its keeper slot with the shoulder of its respective locking device while the beveled edge portion of this same locking device permits the opposite edge of the keeper slot to freely pass when the carrier is traversing its former path. Accordingly, it will be obvious that when the carrier is rotated to the left, or in the direction of the arrow in Figs. 3 and 4, it will become locked as soon as the edge A of the slot 21 engages with the shoulder 28 of the tongue 26 provided of course, there is no bottle in the compartment, and thus prevent access to the lower compartment. On the other hand, when the lower compartment is empty its slot engages with its respective latch so as to prevent access to the upper compartment when the carrier is turned in the other direction or to the right.

For the purpose of clearly illustrating the operation of the device, reference will be particularly made to Fig. 2, wherein a bottle is shown in the upper compartment pressed against the front wall 20 thereof by the spring 19 so that the slot 21 is covered or blanked by the side of the bottle while the lower compartment is empty. As will be apparent from Fig. 3, the slot 21 and its latch member will not operate when the carrier is rotated in the direction of the arrow, because the bottle prevents the latch from entering the slot, and in this connection it will also be noted that the rear wall 8 of the upper compartment 8 covers the access opening 4 so that no access can be had to this compartment, but the lower compartment 9 is open. Thus, upon rotating the carrier by means of the turnbutton 16, the slot 22 of the lower compartment engages with the shoulder of its latch member and the carrier is still locked so that the upper compartment is closed. It will of course be understood that the upper compartment 8 cannot be presented before the access opening 4 by turning the carrier in a direction opposite that of the arrow, Fig. 3, because the lug 18 engages with one of the stops 17 to prevent this. Therefore, in order to remove the bottle from the compartment 8, a bottle must be inserted in the compartment 9 so that the slot 22 is blanked to prevent the entrance of 1 129,068 let the locking tongue as shown in Fig. 8. Upon removing the bottle from the upper compartment, it is impossible to remove the one placed in the lower, by reason of one edge of the slot 21 of the upper compartment abutting against the shoulder of its locking tongue. Accordingly, it is obvious that to remove the bottle in the compartment 9, a bottle must be placed in compartment 8, and vice versa.

The action of the locking devices can also be observed from Fig. 8 wherein the locking shoulder 28 of the lower latch device is shown in engagement with one edge of the keeper slot 22 of the lower compartment 9, in full lines. When the locking tongue of this latch device is engaged with the edge of this keeper notch, it will be understood that the upper compartment is inaccessible, and to render the same capable of access, it is necessary that a bottle be pressed against the slot 22, as shown by dotted lines, to prevent the entrance of the tongue 26 of the latch, thereby pushing the latch tongue back as also indicated by dotted lines.

When the compartments 8 and 9 each have a bottle therein, as shown in Fig. 1,both com partments are accessible, alternately of course, but as soon as one bottle is removed it is impossible to get at the other bottle. In assembling the device, it is necessary that one bottle be inserted in one of the compartments of the inner carrier, before the same is placed in the casing and the ends put on so as to insure the proper Working of the device. ,Therefore, it will be apparent from the foregoing description that the invention is of special utility as a milk bottle locker, because it is possible to protect a filled bottle against theft, and at the same time compel the return of empty bottles by making the empty bottle the means of unlocking the compartment which holds the filled bottle.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be, re sorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention, and without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

'I claim:

1. A bottle locker including a casing having separate access openings, an inner movable bottle carrier having separate compartments and shutter portions for the separate access openings, and bottle controlled means for preventing the shutter portion of one compartment from' uncovering its access opening until the insertion of a bottle within the other compartment, and vice versa.

2. A milk bottle locker including an outer casing having access openings, an inner movable bottle carrier having shutter portions for the access openings, locking means to limit the movement of the carrier in both directions, and means for rendering the locking means-idle by a bottle within the carrier.

3. A bottle locker including an outer casing having access openings, an inner movable bottle carrier having a plurality of compartments, each of which has a shutter portion for the adjacent access opening, looking means to limit the movement of the carrier in both directions, and means for rendering the locking means idle by a bottle within the carrier.

4. A bottle locker including an outer casing having access openings, an inner movable bottle carrier having separate compartments and a shutter portion for each compartment, the separate shutter portions being oppositely arranged, locking means for respectively checking rotation of the carrier in opposite directions, and means within each compartment for rendering one of the locking devices inoperative by the bottle therein.

5. A bottle locker including a casing having separate access openings, an inner movable bottle carrier eccentrically pivoted in said casing and having separate compartments and shutter portions for the separate access openings, spring pressed locking de vices for respectively checking rotation of the carrier in opposite directions, and means within each compartment for rendering one of the locking devices inoperative by the bottle therein.

6. A bottle locker including a casing having separate access openings and provided with upstanding stop lugs on its bottom wall, an inner movable bottle carrier having separate compartments and a shutter portion for each compartment, said carrier being eccentrically pivoted in the top and bottom Walls of the casing, and having a depending lug adapted to strike the lugs on bottom wall of the casing, spring pressed locking devices for respectively checking rotation of the carrier in opposite directions, and means Within each compartment for rendering one of the locking devices inoperative by the bottle therein.

7. A bottle locker including a casing having separate access openings, aninner revoluble bottle carrier having separate compartments and a shutter portion for each compartment, the front wall portion of each compartment having a horizontal keeper slot, and locking devices for entering said keeper slots to check the rotation of the carrier in opposite directions, and means within each compartment for rendering one of the locking devices inoperative by the bottle therein.

8. A bottle locker including a casing having separate vertically alined access openings, an inner movable carrier having separate compartments provided with reversely ment for rendering one of the locking dearranged openings, and a shutter portion vices inoperative by the bottle therein. 1 for each compartment, and means for alter- In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my nately presenting the reversely arranged signature in the presence of two Witnesses. openings before the access openings includ- DUER H. BUCKLEY.

ing a plurality of locking devices for check- Witnesses:

ing the rotation of the carrier in opposite J. M. W. RODARELLI,

directions, and means Within each compart- SARAH CADDICK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

